In October 2022, at the invitation of "Repay a Favor", photographer Wang Jian enthusiastically shared with the magazine's editors what he had seen, thought, and felt during his years of shooting at Qita Temple, as well as his love, persistence, and expectations for the art of photography as a senior photography enthusiast for many years.
Character introduction
Wang Jian, a native of Yinzhou, Ningbo, is also named "Juelu Seven Pagodas". Adhering to the concept of "nothing else but familiarity", he creates with great care and insists on understanding a temple and a city through photography.
Photographed by Ye Wei
Introduction to photography
I started to get into photography in the mid-to-late 1970s, studying under Mr. Hong Baichun. He began to create photographic art in the 1990s, mainly focusing on landscape themes. He studied under Mr. Guo Yiqing and Mr. Li Yuan successively.
In 2001, he won the "Kodak Cup" " China Photography " 2001 Outstanding Photographer Nomination Award for Professional Reversal Film.
In 2001, he won the third prize in the human and nature category of the 8th Canon Cup "Asian Style" Chinese Photography Competition.
In 2002, many works were selected into the "Sixth International Photography Art Exhibition in Shanghai, China".
In 2002, he won the Top Ten Author Award in the first "Photography Friends Jigsaw" half-month competition on the China Photographers Association website.
In 2016, the solo exhibition "Good Morning Qianhu - Wang Jian's Photography Exhibition" was held at the Ningbo Art Center of the Chinese Photographers Association and Ningbo Cultural Center . This exhibition displayed more than 50 works from the Good Morning Qianhu series. At the same time, a personal photography collection - "Good Morning at Qianhu Lake" was completed under the careful production of Mr. Ye Wei, and a video record history of the changes of Qianhu Lake in East Yongcheng was born.
In 2016, he began to create the "Seven Pagodas of Juelu" series of photography works, and provided pictures for the WeChat public platforms of "Repaying Favor" magazine and Qita Zen Temple , Qixin Library and other relevant units.
In 2020, "Qixin Sanskrit Shadows - Wang Jian's Photography Works Exhibition" was held at the Qixin Library of Qita Zen Temple. This exhibition selected more than 20 excellent works of art shot and created by Wang Jian in the temple, attracting a large number of Yongcheng believers, readers and photography enthusiasts. After the exhibition, Wang Jian sold all the exhibits for charity, and all the proceeds were donated to Qixin Library.
Some of the exhibits of "Dharma Shadows in the Heart - Wang Jian's Photography Exhibition"
1. Buddhist-themed photography: Seven Pagodas open the way to enlightenment, and light and shadow convey the righteous path
"Repaying a favor": Your account on the Internet that publishes photography works related to the Seven Pagoda Temple is called "Seven Pagodas of Juelu". What is the meaning behind it?
Wang Jian: On December 25, 2016, when sorting out the photography works related to the Seven Pagodas Temple in preparation for the subsequent release of a photo album, Master Kexiang decided to name it "The Seven Pagodas of Juelu". In 2017, I used this name when I shared my photography of Qita Temple on Toutiao.
Master Kexiang's handwritten "Seven Pagodas of Juelu"
Li Bai's "Returning to the Mountain in Spring to Send Meng Haoran " has a poem that goes: "The golden rope opens the way to sleep, and the treasure raft crosses the lost river." The meaning of these two poems is that Buddhism can open up the path to enlightenment for all living beings, free them from confusion, and reach the ideal world on the other side. My understanding of the "Seven Pagodas of the Path of Enlightenment": "The Path of Enlightenment" is the road to enlightenment. Only by practicing in accordance with the "Four Noble Truths", "Six Perfections" and "Eightfold Path" taught by the Buddha, can you develop great wisdom like the Buddha and achieve Anuttarasamyaksambodhi. "Pagoda" is a symbol of Buddha, and the so-called person who can realize reality is a Buddha. The "Seven Pagodas" represent the seven Buddhas in the past: Vipassana Buddha , Shiji Buddha, Visabbha Buddha, Jusun Buddha, Kunagamuni Buddha, Kassapa Buddha , and Sakyamuni Buddha. They are symbols of the source of the Zen dharma lineage. The "Seven Pagodas" of the Seven Pagoda Zen Temple have this meaning.The implication of the "Seven Pagodas of Juelu" is that everyone should practice according to Buddhism, and elevate daily life such as photography, reading and composition to the level of practice. The ultimate goal is to achieve the "clear the original mind and see the true nature" as mentioned in Zen Buddhism, and reach the other side of enlightenment.
"Repaying Favor": Before you used the account "Juelu Qita" to publish your photography works, did you share other works through the Internet? What prompted you to start sharing the pictures you took at the Seven Pagodas Temple on the Internet?
Wang Jian: I used to have a WeChat public account called "Good Morning Qianhu", which mainly released some landscape photography works I took in Dongqian Lake . The headline account of "Juelu Seven Pagodas" now has more than 6,000 fans. The posts on it are basically vertical content about Qita Temple. The followers are mainly Ningbo locals and people of all ages.
chose to publish the works of Qita Temple on the Internet for three purposes: first, to observe and study Buddhism as a traditional cultural phenomenon, hoping to enhance the public's understanding of orthodox Buddhist culture by publishing some photos taken at Qita Temple; second, to share it with more people, as many people rarely visit the temple in person throughout the year, and publishing these photos can also share with them the scenery of the temple throughout the year; third, to "test the waters" of the work. For those photos that I feel confident about, I can actually not post them. But for those photos that are between "good" and "bad", if I am not sure about them, I will post them for everyone to comment on. Sometimes the work that I feel satisfied with does not receive much response. I feel that the work is mediocre, but it has a good response. There is still a little difference between the orientation of individuals and the public. The photographer himself needs to listen to more voices.
"Repaying Favor": You have taken a wealth of photography works for Qita Temple, including a large number of temple buildings, portraits, Buddhist activity scenes, etc. As an old Ningbo native, where did your relationship with Qita Temple come from?
Wang Jian: Before shooting the Seven Pagodas Temple, I had always photographed natural scenery. In 2016, after the album "Good Morning at Qianhu" was published, I wanted to change the subjects and themes, just to challenge myself. By chance, there is an opportunity to start.
A friend once asked me what was my biggest feeling after taking photos at Qita Temple for so long? I said that every time I enter the temple, I feel at home, and a kind of peace arises in my heart.
It’s hard to describe this feeling clearly. As soon as I step into the gate of the temple, I feel very comfortable in my heart. In the past, I didn’t even know what morning classes, evening classes, and classes were, but as I came more often, I gradually understood them. I also became familiar with the masters. They are all very nice to me. When they come in the morning, they will ask me if I have eaten. We also talk about what the weather is like today, etc., and sometimes stuff the snacks and fruits they received in the morning into my bag. If they haven't come for a while, when they come again they will ask, "What have you been doing during this time? Why haven't you come?" Now they feel like a family, and this familiar process is like slowly wrapping a bracelet in batter, which is very interesting.
"Repaying a Favor": How is the preparation for the Seven Pagoda Temple album currently going? How did you feel during the preparation process? What are the criteria for selecting works into the album?
Wang Jian: Recently I have been preparing for the Qita Temple photo album, mainly selecting, compiling and organizing photos. From 2016 to now, I have come to Qita Temple to take pictures six to seven hundred times. Sometimes I come in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon, sometimes in the morning and in the afternoon. In a year, I will take about 100,000 photos. So far, I have taken about 500,000 to 600,000 photos related to the Seven Pagodas Temple, which is really too big.
I will back up the works in chronological order. Now I am reading, sorting and selecting from the earliest to the last. Organizing photos is "painful and joyful"."It hurts" because it's hard to choose photos. Sometimes I can't even choose a good photo on a given day. Now I’m going through the first preliminary screening, and then I’ll have to ask someone to help me sort through it again. If it weren't for my own photos, I might make some choices more rationally, but the works I took are a bit difficult to make. It feels like a surgeon who doesn't dare to operate on a loved one.
After the first screening process is completed, four to five thousand should be selected, and the process is about halfway through now. My current idea for the album is to select no more than 500 photos. The specific selection depends on the overall quality of the work and the coordination between different photos. Further discussions will be needed later. As for the criteria for selecting works, firstly, they must be pleasing to the eye; secondly, whether the talisman fits the style of the temple; thirdly, whether a single work can be integrated into the overall style of the album, and there must be an overall balance within it, which are mainly these three points.
"Repaying Favor": You used to shoot more natural scenery, but now you mainly focus on temple themes. When creating works with different themes, do you intentionally use different photography techniques? How do you convey Buddhist ethos and Zen in your work?
Wang Jian: Whether it is landscape photography or temple photography, the technical principles are the same. For example, good works must have good light and shadow effects and capture the moment of change. When shooting temple-themed images, in principle, you can view houses as mountains and people as trees. The techniques are actually similar. But certain adjustments also need to be made to highlight the temperament of the temple. Things unique to Buddhism must be expressed through the combination of people, Buddha statues, and buildings.
As for Zen, some people say that silence is Zen, and some people say that movement is Zen. It depends on the individual's state of mind.
"Repaying a Favor": Among the large number of works you have photographed, are there one or two that are your favorites? Tell us about the artistic conception behind these works?
Wang Jian: It is very difficult for me to choose the most satisfactory one from among the works. Because every photo is created by myself. However, I also picked a few that I am quite satisfied with and share them with you.
This is the scene of an old pilgrim offering incense. Another issue that needs to be noted when taking photos in temples is that faith is actually a very private thing. When taking pictures, the creators must not only show the piety of the pilgrims, but also protect their personal privacy. This is a responsibility for the photographers and will also increase the difficulty of taking pictures to a certain extent. Like this photo, it's very quiet, the characters are in a pious state, the light is good, and the body language, mood, and environment are combined in a harmonious way. From an aesthetic perspective, the dynamics of light, including smoke, are full of beauty.
This photo shows the solemnity of the Buddha statue. The Buddha statue looks very tall. After a little distortion of the lens, it seems that the Buddha statue has a feeling of looking up, and it also shows the solemnity of the palace. From a Buddhist perspective, this image is somewhat deformed and not very correct, but from an artistic perspective, this perspective will have a greater impact.
The Buddha statues in the Three Holy Temples are actually the most difficult to photograph, because the ratio between the Buddha statues and the buildings is quite special. The Buddha statues are small and the houses are big. So far, it seems that I haven’t made a film that I’m very satisfied with. The scene seen by human eyes and the lens are different. The eyes can "turn a blind eye", but the lens cannot. It will capture everything within the viewing angle. Therefore, the observations of people who have been engaged in photography for a long time will be a little different from the observations of ordinary people. This is also the difficulty of photography. You need to know the characteristics of different lenses, know what lens to change when you want to express something, and what the effect of this lens will be.
The lenses I usually use include a 12mm wide-angle, a 10-18mm ultra-wide-angle and a 70-240mm telephoto.Under normal circumstances, I only use the same lens in a day, because the shooting ideas of different lenses are different, so that the shooting ideas will not be disturbed.
I am also very impressed with this one. It was a little difficult for the old lay practitioner to stand up, or she could no longer kneel down and pray normally, so she sat on a stool and prayed very devoutly. Although she is old, she still insists on going to the temple to worship Buddha. Photos like
are waiting to be released. Think about where you will be and what you want to shoot, find the location in advance, and then wait there. This photo was inspired by the content in Buddhist scriptures. Buddhism emphasizes "non-attachment to appearance". For example, " Diamond Sutra " says: "If a Bodhisattva has the appearance of myself, the appearance of humans, the appearance of living beings, and the appearance of a life-span, he is not a Bodhisattva." The "Diamond Sutra" also says: "All conditioned dharmas are like the bubbles of a dream; like dew or lightning, they should be viewed in this way." It emphasizes the impermanence of conditioned dharmas. Such sutras with a strong visual sense can be expressed through photography.
This film was first shot continuously from a fixed point with multiple focus points (about twenty pictures). It was later made using "depth of field synthesis" to finally show the solemn treasure of the Buddha statue. People who usually worship Buddha may not look at Buddha statues from this angle, but we photographers must use an "extraordinary" perspective to express Buddha statues. The more extraordinary they are, the more people will be amazed.
"Repaying a Favor": Video works are witnesses of historical changes. Over the years, you have preserved a large amount of image materials for Qita Temple. When you look through and sort out your past works, how do you feel when you look at the development and changes of Qita Temple shown in the images?
Wang Jian: The city has indeed changed a lot in recent years. The city is becoming more and more beautiful and tidy. The Seven Pagoda Temple in it is also exuding more and more unique charm against the surrounding environment. The Tiantai Buddhist Academic Seminar hosted by Qita Zen Temple has been held for the sixth time this year, the Eastern Zhejiang Buddhist Advanced Training Course has also started its second phase, and the Qixin Forum has reached its 57th phase. At the same time, the Qita Zen Temple Qixin Buddhist lecture series, urban life Zen and other activities were also held. The number of readers in Qixin Library is also increasing, and sometimes it is difficult to find a library. With the introduction of the concept of "Cultural Development of Temples", I have every reason to believe that Qita Temple will become better and more beautiful just like this city.
"Repaying a Favor": You once proposed that "the creator should accurately convey the creative intention to the audience to arouse the audience's resonance." When shooting works with temple themes, what intentions do you usually want to express?
Wang Jian: These are actually two questions. First of all, in my opinion, the biggest difference between temple-themed works and other-themed works is that the photographer must insist on true creation, and authenticity is the most important thing. "Taking truth, goodness and reality" as beauty. For me, posing is not allowed.
Mr. Li Yuan describes his landscape photography as "natural photography", which means that nothing is allowed to be added to or change the original appearance of the work. The concept of "nature photography" as I understand it is "photography fundamentalism", which means paying attention to the existing nature. Buddhism is all about letting go of circumstances. Since it is a Buddhist subject, then posing for photos is not about letting things happen, and it is also disrespectful to Buddhism. This is a red line I have drawn for myself. If there are people in my photos, they are not staged photos. In fact, it is very difficult to shoot like this. Many times you need to wait for the characters to appear. For example, if I think this location and light are okay, I will wait there, which is equivalent to creating trouble for myself.
As for the creative intention to convey, it is to convey the beauty of Buddhist architecture, statues, utensils, rituals, traditions, etc. to the audience through the pictures, so that everyone can understand what true Buddhism is like. This is something I'm trying to do.It is hoped that through these "correct" Buddhist-themed works, true and orthodox concepts can be conveyed to the audience as much as possible.
2. Photography creators must keep the true bottom line
"Repaying a Favor": Regarding photographic creation, you hold the view that "creators need to have the awareness of the audience to 'torture' their works." How do you understand this sentence?
Wang Jian: "Torture" is the audience's questioning and criticism, or embarrassing the creator. For creators, this situation needs to be faced with a calm mind. Be mentally prepared, because the audience will not think too much about objective environmental factors, such as the location of the shooting, the lighting, etc. They only look at the final product, which is their right.
Another point is that the audience is large and there are many smart people, so the creator cannot feel that they are unprofessional. In the past, when Bai Juyi wrote poems, didn't he have to read them to old ladies, so that they could understand them? There is no outsider in beauty, there are common standards.
So what this sentence means is that creators must treat the audience's vision and comments correctly. The audience is right at all times. Good works will naturally resonate with the audience. When the creator's personal standards are different from the audience's standards, a proposition needs to be addressed: should you follow the crowd or stick to your own personality? It depends on personal choice. But as long as you choose to put your work out, you must accept the audience's assessment. Taking it out for torture and self-appreciation are two different things.
"Repaying Favor": You have been deeply involved in the field of photography in your spare time over the years. What drives you to persist in photography? What does photography mean to you and what does it bring to you?
Wang Jian: Photography is done by me. Although the time is amateur, the attitude is professional. This is my evaluation of myself. I have a professional spirit. It took nine years for the "Good Morning Qianhu" series to be published. Starting in 2016, it has been my seventh year of shooting at Qita Temple.
The driving force of photography is actually very simple, it is fun. Taking pictures is a very fun thing. Before you start shooting, you have to make many choices. For example, during this period, when the leaves start to turn yellow, you need to choose the subject matter of the leaves and colors. Next, you need to choose where to shoot, at what time to shoot, what the weather will be like during the shooting, what to bring, what kind of transportation to take, who to go with... After the shooting, you also need to consider how to choose the film. Photography is like this, layer by layer, each layer is very interesting, and each change of choice may bring something different. Choosing the time to shoot actually means waiting. In the summer, I would think that in a few months I would be able to take pictures of red leaves and , and I would feel a sense of anticipation.
For me, I am very lucky to have a hobby like photography that has been with me for many years. Sometimes I am moved by myself and feel that my passion for photography is lifelong.
Photography has brought me many things. The first one is to make my time full. Photography is very time-consuming. The second one is that photography requires continuous improvement and learning a lot of things. Whether it is landscape photography or Buddhist-themed photography, in the end the competition is about everyone's aesthetics, not the shutter and aperture, which are the skills that need to be mastered when getting started. A person's aesthetic realm determines his or her photography realm, and photography also improves my personal aesthetic accomplishment. Usually when a group of people go out to play, people who are into photography and people who are not into photography will observe different things. People often ask, we obviously went with you, where did you take these photos? This is also interesting.
"Repaying Favor": Short videos are booming nowadays. In your opinion, what is the difference between video and picture works?
Wang Jian: I generally don’t shoot videos. Video is a new way of communication, and it definitely has its advantages, such as being more comprehensive and able to explain one thing clearly.Video and photography are actually two independent categories. In terms of difficulty, I definitely think photography is slightly higher, because photography can only use one picture to express things as clearly as possible, while video uses continuous pictures. But now everyone loves to see videos, and their dissemination scope should be wider than photography.
"Repaying a Favor": You have expressed the view that "color is dangerous for photographers. The more applause, the deeper you sink, and the brighter the colors, it is easy to lose yourself and forget your original intention." Can you elaborate on your views on the color of photography and even the photography techniques behind it? What do you think is the most important thing in maintaining the identity of photographic art?
Wang Jian: The "color" mentioned here is that one is fake in the early stage, and the other is that it becomes more and more beautiful in the later stage. Slowly, the photographer himself became lost. For example, some of the popular temple-themed photos are of people rushing to see the Buddha with lanterns in hand, which is not true. First of all, photographing something that does not exist in the first place is contrary to Buddhist concepts; secondly, if the shot is staged or excessively modified later, what appears is a work of art, not a photographic work.
Drawing can allow you to imagine and create, but photography cannot. Sometimes I hear people say that my photos are just like my paintings. Although the other person is sincerely complimenting me, I still feel very sad about photography in my heart. Photography is not painting, it is a separate art category.
Photography must first be true and real, and then you can produce satisfactory works. I usually retouch the photos based on the original ones. The basic principle is not to change anything in the picture, and the photos must be of what is really happening. A little processing on the original basis is allowed even in a traditional darkroom. The darkroom also needs to adjust the water temperature and control the depth or color of the tone according to the time of the magnifying lamp. There is also post-production tailoring, that is, secondary composition and other similar operations.
To maintain the characteristics of photographic art, I think it is necessary to adhere to the principle of authenticity. Photographers must have a professional spirit in photography and cannot find various reasons such as the advancement of the times and technological development to violate the essence of photography. Photography must be based on what really happened, which is its biggest feature that distinguishes it from other types of art.
Text/Chen Yafang Zhang Chenhui
